The House of Czernin ( cs, Černínové z Chudenic; german: Czernin von und zu Chudenitz) is a Czech noble family that was one of the oldest and most prominent noble families in the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

. The family is a descendent family of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

family.

History

The family is descended from the clan of "Drslavici", like several other Bohemian families. The first known bearer of the family name was ''Comes'' and ''Camerarius regis'' (1199–1212) Cernin de Chudenic (11?? - 12??). The name of the family refers to the town of

Chudenice Chudenice (german: Chudenitz) is a market town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. Chudenice lies approximately north-west of Klatovy, south-west of Plzeň, and south-west of Prague. A ...

(German: ''Chudenitz'') in western Bohemia, which was in their possession from the 13th century until 1945. On 18 May 1607, the Czernin family was elevated to the '' Reichsfreiherrenstand'' with the title of ''Freiherr von Chudenitz'' (Baron of Chudenitz; ''svobodný pán z Chudenic'') and, on 15 March 1623, to the ''

Reichsgraf Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...

enstand'' with the title of ''Reichsgraf von Chudenitz'' (Count of Chudenitz; ''hrabě z Chudenic''). In 1716, Franz Josef, Count Czernin von und zu Chudenitz, received permission from the Emperor to the hereditary title of ''Regierer des Hauses Neuhaus'' (Ruler of the House of Hradec). Today, most members of the Czernin family live in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Legend

It is said that about 1000 years ago, the king had a conflict with a Bohemian nobleman. He was so angry with him that he sent his troops into the nobleman's castle. The soldiers murdered the whole family except a baby boy, whose nurse had hidden him in a kettle in the kitchen. When the soldiers withdrew, people found the little child in the kettle, and they praised God for this miracle. They called the boy Czernin, which means "The Black" in Czech, because he was black all over his face after having lain in the kettle. The king was so impressed by the people's loyalty that he pardoned the little Czernin.

Notable family members

* Humprecht Jan, Count Czernin of Chudenicz (1628–1682), Habsburg imperial ambassador to Venice and Rome *

Johann Rudolf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz Johann Rudolf Graf Czernin von und zu Chudenitz (born or baptized on 9 June 1757 in Vienna; died or buried on 23 April 1845 in Vienna) was a k. k. Austrian civil servant and theater director. He descended from the old Bohemian noble family Czern ...

(1757–1845), Austrian civil servant and theatre director * Count Ottokar Czernin von und zu Chudenitz (1872–1932), Austro-Hungarian politician and diplomat * Count Otto Czernin von und zu Chudenitz (1875–1962), Austro-Hungarian diplomat and brother of Ottokar *

Count Manfred Beckett Czernin Count Manfred Beckett Czernin, (18 January 1913 – 6 October 1962) was a Royal Air Force pilot and later an operative with the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War. Early life Czernin was born to the fourth son of Count Ott ...

(1913–1962), Otto's son; British World War II pilot and spy * Vera Fugger von Babenhausen, ''née'' Countess Czernin, married Austrian chancellor

Kurt Schuschnigg Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian Fatherland Front politician who was the Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Dollf ...

shortly after he was deposed in 1938. *

Franz Josef Czernin Franz Josef Czernin (born 7 January 1952, Vienna) is an Austrian writer. He is a member of the Bohemian noble Czernin family. Awards and honors * 1993: Stadtschreiber von Graz * 1997: Literaturpreis der Stadt Wien * 1998: Anton-Wildgans-Pr ...

(born 1952), Austrian poet *

Hubertus Czernin Hubertus Czernin (born Hubertus Alexander Felix Franz Maria Czernin von und zu Chudenitz; 17 January 1956 – 10 June 2006) was an Austrian investigative journalist. Born in Vienna on 17 January 1956 to Felix Theobald Paul Anton Maria Reichsgra ...

(1956–2006), Austrian journalist *

Tomáš Czernin Tomáš () is a Czech and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas. It may refer to: * Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia * Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur * Tomáš Berdych ( ...

(born 1962), Czech politician *

Monika Czernin Monika Czernin (born 18 February 1965) is an Austrian writer, screenwriter, actress and film director. Education and early career Czernin studied education, political science, philosophy and journalism at the University of Vienna. Family bac ...

(born 1965), Austrian writer, screenwriter and film director * Thomas Czernin-Morzin (born 1966), Austrian investor and businessman * The Hon.

Peter Czernin Count Peter John Joseph Czernin von und zu Chudenitz, otherwise known as The Honourable Peter Czernin, (born 1 January 1966) is a British-born film producer. Early life and ancestry Count Peter is the only son of Austro-Hungarian Count Joseph ...

(born 1966), British film producer and heir apparent to the barony of Howard de Walden * Countess Michelle Czernin von und zu Chudenitz Morzin (born 1969), award-winning motion picture producer

Sources

Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published ...

, Gräfliche Häuser Band XII

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Czernin, House of